Apparatus for obtaining the bast of stalked plants



' Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,387

E. L. A. HEIMLICH APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING THE BAST OF STALKED PLANTSocx.v 3o, 192s. Y 1,689,387 E. L. A. HEIMLICH A APPARATUS FOR OBTAININGTHE BAST OF STALKED PLANTS Filed Feb. s, 1927 4 sheets-sheet 2 wmv; @A

Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,387

E. L. A. HEIMLICg-l APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING THE EAST OF' STALKED PLANTSFiled Feb. 3, 1927 Sheets-Sheet 3 E. L.l A. HElMLlCH APPARATUS FOROBTAINING THE BAST OF STALKED PLANTS Filed Feb. 3192'7 I 4 Sheets-Sheet4 Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED vSTATES y 1,689,381 PATENT, OFFICE.

ERNST LUDWIG ANDREAS HEIMLICH, 0F BREMEN, GERMANY.

APPARATUS kFOR OBTAINING THE BAST OF STALKED PLANTS.

Application led February 3, 1927, Serial No. 165,744, and in GermanyFebruary 6, 1926.

r1`he invention relates to an apparatus for obtaining the bast ofstalked plants.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a feedingmeans for the stalks which will automatically accommodate itself tovarious sizes of stalks and which vwill deliver the stalks to a cutterwhich divides the stalks longitudinally in halves, the halves beingthereafter deflected and the woody envelope surrounding the fibers cutaway.

An example of the form of anapparatus for carrying out this operation isrepresented in the drawings.

F ig.Y 1 shows a front view of the improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 a side view of the same.

Fig. 3 a rear view of the same.

Fig. 4 a plan view of the same.

Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal section on 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 isV a cross-section on line `6-6 of Fig. 5. A. n

Fig. 7`shows, in front view and on an enlarged scale, one of the tootheddiscs used line Vfor stripping the woodyenvelope from the halved stalks.l

Fig. Spillustrates a modified means for the automatic adjustment of theAendless bands forming the stalk feeder.

The improved apparatus comprises a Stalk feeding means for the deliveryof the stalk to the halving cutter. vThis feeding means comprises twoendless bands 3 and?,a respectively mounted on band wheelsl and 1a and 2and 2, the arrangement being such as to cause the bands to define apathway through which the stalks, indicated at 5, are fedlongit-udinally through the gripping action of the bands 3 and 3athereon. These bands 3 and 3a define the side walls of a stalk path olpassage, the upper and lower walls of which are formed by plates 12 and12, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. l

At the outlet end ofD the feeding passage formed by the bands 3 and 3 isarranged a cutting tool 4 which, by reason of its triangular formation,serves to divide the stalk longitudinally and into approximate halves.On the respective sides of the cutter are rails 6 and 6a, the proximateVsurfaces of these rails and the sides of the cutter forming a restrictedpassage for each half of the stalk, as clearly indicated in Fig. 5.

The inlet ends of the passageways for the half stalks is flared bycorrespondingly forming the surface of each rail and the stalks at theoutlet ends of these restricted passzngeways are intercepted by cuttingdiscs 7 and 7, shown more particularly in Fig. 7 of the drawings, whichdiscs are provided with cuttingy projectlons to cut away the woodyenvelope of the halved stalk. VThe bast fiber remaining after the woody?envelope is out away by the cutting discs is directed laterally ontoendless bands, indicated at 8 and 8, adapted for travel over rolls 9 and10 and 9a and 10EL respectively, rollers 11 and 11';l cooperating withthe bands 8 and 8SL to vinsure a feeding pressure on the bast.

As the stalks to be handled bythe apparatus will necessarily be ofvarying diameters,

it isof course necessary that the endless bands 3 and 3a be capable ofrelative adjustment in order to accommodate the different diameters ofstalks with which the machine may be used. Such automatic compensatingmeans, as illustrated in Fig. 5, comprises angle arms 14 and 14apivotally supported on pivots 1 5A and 15a" and carrying at 15" and 15cthe bars on which the pivots 13 and 13a oftheband y rollers 1 and 2 aremounted.k Thel downwardly extending portions of the angle arms areconnected by a spring or springs 16. Obviously, the bands willautomatically accommodate themselves to stalks of varying diameters to adegree sufficient to insure proper feeding of the stalks.

A modification in this respect is illustrated in Fig. 8wherein the arms13 and 13a which carry the pivots of the band rollers 1 and ated by therolls.

It is of course important that vthe respective bands forming the feedingmeans be maintained equally on opposite sides of the A cutter 4 in alladjustments. To secure this result, the shafts of the band rollers 1aand 2 are supported in arms 19 and 19a moving about fixed pivots 18 and18a.

Rods 20 and '20a are connected to the respective arms19 and 19a beyondthe roller .shafts relative to the pivots of the rods and these rods 2Oand 20ak are in turn connected to an angle lever 21 pivoted at 23, the.rod 20 having an adjustable connection with the lever 2l through themedium of a slot 2lb. The arm 2l of the angle lever is adjustable in theslide 21a and is terminally connected to a bar 22 slidably mounted in acylinder Q-l and under the pressure of a spring (not shown) in saidcylinder. The spring exerts its tension in the direction of the arrow(Fig. l) and the connection obviously insures that any movement of theband roller la or 2'LL will be correspondingly and similarlycommunicated to the other roller to insure that the bands 3 and 3* attheir outlet oi1 delivery end shall be equally spaced relative to theentering point of the cutter Ll.

The machine is operated by a motor 25 acting through belts 28 and 2S)passing over belt wheels 26 and 27 secured to the shaft to the motor todrive the various parts of the apparatus. rllhe belt 28 operates overbelt wheels, 30, 3l and 32, while the belt 29 tensioned by the roller 33under the influence of the weight 33 operates to drive a belt wheel 34on the shaft of which is arranged a belt wheel 35 connected by belt 37with belt pulleys 38 and 39 mounted on the shafts of belt rollers la and2a, the belt 3'? passing also over a belt wheel 40. The belt wheel 30and also the belt wheel 10 are belt ten sioning means operating by meansof weights V3()a and 40a, all as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The belt wheels 3l and 32 are fixed on the shafts of the cutting discs 7and 7a.

1What I claim to be new is: l

l. In an apparatus forV treating stalks to remove the fiber, a stalkfeeding means comprising endless belts travelling in parallel relationto grip and feed the stalk, a cutter arranged at the end of the feedingmeans to divide the stalk in half, means for deflecting the halvesv ofthe stalks in opposite directions, and cutting discs for removing thewoody envelopes of the stalks immediately at the point of theirdeflection.

2. In an apparatus for treating stalks to remove the fiber, a stalkfeeding means comprising endless belts travelling in parallel relationto grip and feed the stalk, means for automatically adjusting thefeeding means to compensate for stalks of varying diameters, a cutterarranged at the end of the feeding means to divide the stalk in half,means for deflecting the halves of the stalks in opposite directions,and cutting discs for removing the woody envelopes of the stalksimmediately 'at the point of their deflection.

,3. In an apparatus for treating stalks to remove the fiber therefrom,consisting in a feeding means made up of independent endless beltsadapted for travel in parallel relation throughout a determinate lengthto provide for gripping and feeding the stalks longitudinally, atriangular cutter arranged at the delivery end of the feeding means `fordividing the stalk in halves, means for automatically compensating forstalks of diiferent diameters in the feeding means, means forautomatically maintaining the feeding means in proper relation to thecutter in all compensat-ing 4movements of said feeding means, railsarranged on each side of the cutter and cooperating therewith to providediverging guideways for the respective halves of the stalk, and discsarranged immediately at the termination of said guideways to out awaythe Woody envelope of the halved stalks.

ll. In an apparatus for treating stalks to remove the liber therefrom,consisting in a feeding means made up of independent endless beltsadapted for travel in parallel rela-`` tion throughout a determinatelength to provide for gripping and feeding the stalks longitudinally, atriangular cutter arranged at the delivery end of the feeding means fordividing the stalk in halves, means for automatically compensating forstalks of different diameters in the feeding means, means forautomatically maintaining the feeding means in proper relation to thecutter in all compensating movements of said feeding means, railsarranged on each side of the cutter and cooperating therewith to providedivergingguideways for the respective halves of the stalk, discsarrangedimmediately at the termination of said guideways to cut away the woodyenvelope of the halved stalks, and means arranged vbeyond the discs tofeed the fiber away from the discs.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ERNST LUDWlG ANDREAS HEIMLICH.

